Should You Eat Before or After Exercise?

I read an article today that talked about nutrient intake before during and after exercise. The following was said:

Should You Eat Before or After Exercise?

Pre-Workout Snacks
Don’t enter a workout hungry. If you start exercising in an energy deficit, your body is likely to preserve fat and perform poorly. If you tend to bonk out midway through a hard session, low energy may be the culprit. Quick absorbing carbs with a high glycemic index will give you fast fuel. So before a tough workout, have a sports drink, juice, fruit, bread or pasta to take in some calories. Depending on the intensity and type of activity you are doing, you may be less likely to have an upset stomach if you avoid high-fiber foods at this time. Or if you have them, wait an hour or two to digest before you start your workout. If you need to grab a snack minutes before a workout, chew thoroughly and go for a quick-digesting, high-carb food. But, if you are merely going on a moderate-paced walk for 45 minutes, you probably don’t need extra food unless you’re heading out first thing in the morning. But if you are going to do two spin classes, an 8-mile run or something equally vigorous, fuel up beforehand.

During a Workout
Again, what and how much you need depends upon what you are doing. If the workout is intense and lasts from 60 to 90 minutes or longer, you probably need extra fuel. A sports drink or energy gel is the easiest absorbing solution, although bread, juice, fruit or an energy bar work too.

The Post-Exercise Energy Window
If you went on an easy walk for an hour, you don’t need to eat extra. But if you had a high-intensity workout lasting 60 to 90 minutes or longer, then it’s crucial to eat afterwards. Within the first 45 minutes post-exercise, there is a “metabolic window.” This means that enzymes that replenish muscle carbs are at their highest levels. Plus, insulin, which rebuilds protein stores, is at peak levels. So eating a carb-and-protein mix (peanut butter sandwich, yogurt with fruit, bagel with cream cheese, or a handful of nuts) at this point will maintain muscle, replenish glycogen stores and reduce the amount of fat your body stores. Even a sport drink or a piece fruit are a good idea if you don’t have something more complex available. (These calories are needed to recover, so they are less likely to be stored as excess fat.)

The problem is, it may be an hour or more before you get a chance to eat, especially if you’re at the gym and need to grab a shower before a long journey home. Missing the metabolic window is bad news: If you delay refueling, you slow carb replenishment by 50 percent and protein repair by 80 percent, according to John Ivy, an exercise physiologist at the University of Texas and the author of Nutrient Timing. And that means that you may be sluggish and fatigued during tomorrow’s workout.

Sometimes an immediate side effect of a tough workout is that you are not hungry. But, you still need some calories. So drink juice or a sports drink at the very least. If you experiment with different food options, you should be able to find something that sits well with your stomach and improves your performance.

This information is available at http://health.msn.com/fitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100146039&page=2

Food for thought?